Singletrack Forum » Topic: Sonos - Anyone using, talk to mehttp://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me
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iamsporticus on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me/page/2#post-5504404
Mon, 11 Nov 2013 14:27:13 +0000iamsporticus5504404@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p><em>Numpty alert!</em></p>
<p>Can anyone please answer the following:</p>
<p>1) Is the 'Bridge' basically a dedicated wireless access point just for the Sonos network or does Sonos feed off the house wifi after the bridge does something clever?<br />
I ask as my router is miles away from where Id like to listen to music, the house wifi gets there (just) with a repeater but a Bridge would have no chance</p>
<p>2) My library is in itunes and is a dogs breakfast, theres lots of stuff I ripped years ago when I was limited by a tiny HD, obviously this is going to be of poor quality so whats the best way to stream to a 'Connect/ZP' and get decent quality please? Spotify premium/Google music/Apples paid cloud thing etc etc etc. I put my old Cds in storage plus I dont have enough will to live to re-rip them all</p>
<p>Many thanks</p>
<p> <img src="http://singletrackworld.com/forum/my-plugins/bbcode-buttons/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" alt=""/> </p>ElShalimo on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5462982
Mon, 28 Oct 2013 12:42:18 +0000ElShalimo5462982@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>I think going down the Sonos route will be expensive in the short and long term. I really can see the attraction but it appears to be like Apple in that once you give in and adopt the tech, you're just going to keep adding more of their products. Sadly my pockets aren't that deep</p>
<p>There are many ways of streaming nowadays which means even more choices. Oh dear
</p>CountZero on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5461913
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 23:42:30 +0000CountZero5461913@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p><blockquote>Given that the content is digital, what is the best way to convert CDs to get high quality files in terms of file format and bit rate?<br />
I'll assume that digital online content is very high quality e.g. spotify, 6Music etc. Is that true?</blockquote><br />
Pretty much as ask1974 says. I've been ripping all my music at 320Kb, and I have files I've downloaded as FLAC and Apple Lossless from pre-ordered albums, and I have a fair few I've bought from iTunes, which are 256Kb, and I play them from my Mac Mini into my Yamaha a/v amp via a fiberoptic TOSLink, and to be perfectly honest, I hear greater variations in the original mastering of the music than I can any significant loss of quality through the file formats; believe me, some mastering is really pretty shonky!<br />
DAB radio is 196Kb, which is ok, and sounds fine as a broadcast, but is noticeably poorer than 320Kb files.<br />
Check out a book, <em>Perfecting Sound Forever</em>, by Greg Milner: <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781862079427/" rel="nofollow">http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781862079427/</a><br />
It's very, very revealing about what you can and can't hear in recordings. Anyone at all interested in music should read it.
</p>vorlich on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5461716
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 21:59:43 +0000vorlich5461716@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>I haven't heard the 3 or 1, actually thought there was still a couple of days before the 1 was available, anyway, I can only comment on the 5. I think to most people, the 5 would sound pretty good, but it depends how discerning you are. Listening to it in Currys, will tell you almost nothing about how it will sound once home. FWIW, it has a loudness control and treble/bass you can adjust as required. I have loudness off on my 5.</p>
<p>Personally, when I'm in my kitchen, sound quality isn't top of my priorities. YMMV. </p>
<p>The ZP90 however I run as a transport into an external DAC and active speakers. It's the best sounding system I've ever had and the best system I've ever heard. If sound quality is key, you should be looking at the Zp90 or whatever they're calling it now into a decent DAC/Amp/Speaker combo IMO.
</p>ElShalimo on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5461613
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 21:32:29 +0000ElShalimo5461613@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p><blockquote>ask1974 - Member</blockquote><br />
cheers for that... I feel like such as luddite now
</p>ask1974 on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5461545
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 21:15:30 +0000ask19745461545@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>ElShalimo, there are lots of file formats and each has it's advantages. Of course for absolute quality you want to use a lossless format like FLAC, WAV or AIFF so no data is lost but in reality high bit rate compressed files like MP3 @ 320kbits/s are almost indistinguishable from lossless. Just stay well clear of low bit rate compressed formats. Lots of useful discussion on the Sonos forum, here's one link;</p>
<p><a href="http://forums.sonos.com/showthread.php?t=17890">talk on formats</a></p>
<p>The issue must people have is iTunes, as this is used for music management and mobile devices they tend to compress music too much when ripping to fit as much as possible on a small drive. For a few £££ you can buy an HDD with auto ripping software that rips to two files, one lossless for home use and one compressed for mobile. Personally I use iTunes because I'm lazy and just import at 320kbits/s which I'm perfectly happy with.</p>
<p>With regard to on-line content it's the reverse, Internet radio and Spotify etc are all compressed, in some cases heavily and it really shows. However most paid for services like Spotify have a premium version that ups quality to around the 320kbits/s mark which is fine - just costs. BBC stations are good but not quite as good as DAB, but perfectly usable, however there are some really poor radio stations, the good news is that there is also some very good stuff out there you just need to find it.
</p>georgecats_0 on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5461458
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 20:52:36 +0000georgecats_05461458@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>Having had sonos,I found it a bit overcomplicated, iv gone back to 3 or 4 ipods in various docks,I think sonos is overpriced too,but it really depends on the room/the loudness required, etc etc....
</p>ElShalimo on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5461217
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 19:55:33 +0000ElShalimo5461217@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p><blockquote>ask1974 - Member</blockquote><br />
thanks for explaining that</p>
<p>Given that the content is digital, what is the best way to convert CDs to get high quality files in terms of file format and bit rate?<br />
I'll assume that digital online content is very high quality e.g. spotify, 6Music etc. Is that true?
</p>petrieboy on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5460985
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 19:02:21 +0000petrieboy5460985@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>Connect hooked up to the living room system and a play3 that moves between the kitchen and my study. I'll be picking up a couple of play1's when they are available too.<br />
Yes you could cobble something together using raspberry pi's and old amps but the interface on sonos is so good that even my luddite mother was able to install the app on her phone, connect to my sonos network and find music she liked. Well worth the money.
</p>ask1974 on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5460956
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 18:50:46 +0000ask19745460956@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>ElShalimo, you need one Sonos device per room, of course with wiring and suitable amplification you could connect multiple rooms to one Connect but they would all operate at the same time and with the same volume which is not what Sonos is about.</p>
<p>We sell loads if it and I've not got one unhappy customer. Kicks the ass out of Airport Express and BlueTooth type solutions with proper music management and of course multi-room operation.</p>
<p>Jambalaya, have you ever used Sonos? I only ask because Airport Express is nowhere near as good, it's not even remotely similar and just provides a basic streaming solution. Convenient yes but it's no multi-room system.
</p>ElShalimo on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5460899
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 18:38:06 +0000ElShalimo5460899@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p><blockquote>iomnigel - Member</blockquote><br />
excuse the ignorance... do you have each zone with a dedicated ZP90? Or can you have multiple zones per ZP90?<br />
I'm sure it all makes perfect sense once you've configured it but I've had separates for over 20 years, so it is still pure witchcraft to me!
</p>iomnigel on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5459155
Sat, 26 Oct 2013 21:05:20 +0000iomnigel5459155@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>We have 9 zones all on zp90's, dedicated music server, most into ceiling speakers. Sound is as good as the speakers. We have some monitor audio speakers and the sound is firking awesome. Zp90 has an amplifier built in and is very good. Also have one firing into a sony amp and monitors audio speakers. Better then awesome. Finally in the garage we have a zp90 into sonos speakers. Again brilliant. I Can't fault it for what it does. Fit and forget.
</p>IanW on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5459114
Sat, 26 Oct 2013 20:54:14 +0000IanW5459114@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>I have had a 5 and bridge for about a year and am completely hooked. Sat this afternoon queuing up great tracks from napster and my own library..brilliant.</p>
<p>Not quite a Sondeck and valve amp sound but good enough and perfect usability IMO. </p>
<p>Probably go for a couple of 3's were I to start again only because buying more 5's is going to be expensive.
</p>ElShalimo on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5458481
Sat, 26 Oct 2013 17:29:19 +0000ElShalimo5458481@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>Oh and has anyone got a pair of Sonos Play 1 speakers running?
</p>ElShalimo on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5458292
Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:18:55 +0000ElShalimo5458292@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>I saw the Sonos Play 1, 3 &amp; 5 in Currys today and I thought the sound was good but a bit strange. It was powerful, thumping almost, but didn't sound like separates or even our Denon mini-system.<br />
Is this what you guys mean when you say it's not hi-fi? </p>
<p>I thought they were so expensive because some acoustic wizards could make them sound great, link them to a network and Robert's your Mother's brother. Or have I missed something?</p>
<p>Anyway I was a little disappointed as I thought it would be a good system for our kitchen but now I'm not so sure.<br />
Has anyone bought the SOnos kit and not been happy with it? Or does the easy to use functionality stop you thinking about any potential niggles?
</p>warton on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5443138
Mon, 21 Oct 2013 14:55:05 +0000warton5443138@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p><blockquote>massive win for the soundcloud hack....great tip.</p>
<p></blockquote></p>
<p>Yeah, it was all that was missing IMO, so was delighted when I found that. Bit of John Digweed in the kitchen on a Friday night goes down a treat <img src="http://singletrackworld.com/forum/my-plugins/bbcode-buttons/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":-)" class="bb_smilies" alt=""/> </p>alfabus on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5443132
Mon, 21 Oct 2013 14:54:31 +0000alfabus5443132@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>squeezebox is better.</p>
<p>FACT.</p>
<p>(except that they've discontinued it for being too awesome)
</p>mrchrispy on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5443102
Mon, 21 Oct 2013 14:46:18 +0000mrchrispy5443102@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>love mine. play5 and play3 x 2 scattered around the house.<br />
was going to get a play3 for the bathroom but the new play1 look better suited for that.</p>
<p>massive win for the soundcloud hack....great tip.
</p>jambalaya on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5443005
Mon, 21 Oct 2013 14:19:44 +0000jambalaya5443005@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>@lorax - ok got it now.
</p>vorlich on "Sonos - Anyone using, talk to me"http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sonos-anyone-using-talk-to-me#post-5442385
Mon, 21 Oct 2013 11:52:59 +0000vorlich5442385@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/<p>I have a Play 5 in the Kitchen and a ZP90 hooked into a pair of active speakers via an external DAC. The ZP90 sound is superb.</p>
<p>The sound from the Play devices is good in a not especially 'accurate' sort of way. It's not HiFi, but it will fill a room, no problem.</p>
<p>We're about to order a Play 1 for upstairs.</p>
<p>And as mentioned previously, come poker night, my mates just pair their phone/app and can stream whatever they like to it.
</p>